Carrier tape vibrator module

ABSTRACT

A vibrator module adapted for use in a taper apparatus for advancing carrier tape having a plurality of compartments and for placing parts in the compartments. The vibrator module includes a motor that includes an output shaft that rotates in response to operation of the motor. The vibrator module also includes an eccentric weight mounted to and rotatable with the output shaft. The eccentric weight causes the motor to vibrate in response to rotation of the output shaft and eccentric weight. The vibrator module further includes a vibration transferring member interconnected with the motor and operable to transfer vibrations from the motor to the carrier tape to cause the parts to settle into the bottoms of the compartments.

FIELD OF THE INVENTION

[0001] The present invention relates to a vibrator module for vibratinga carrier tape used to package electronic parts.

BACKGROUND

[0002] It is known to package electronic computer chips,microprocessors, and the like (herein referred to generically as“parts”) in the compartments of a carrier tape and to wind the carriertape on a reel for shipping. Typically, the parts are inspectedimmediately before being placed in the compartments of the carrier tapeand are in some cases inspected after they are positioned within thecompartments of the carrier tape.

SUMMARY

[0003] While a part is in a compartment of the carrier tape, an overheadcamera is often used to inspect the leads of the part. If the part isnot positioned properly within the compartment, there may be falserejections of good parts. Thus, it is important to properly position theparts within the compartments of the carrier tape to reduce as much aspossible the incidence of false rejections.

[0004] The present invention achieves the goal of properly positioningthe parts in the carrier tape compartments by positioning a vibratormodule near the carrier tape compartments. Before a part is inspected ina compartment, the vibrator module is turned on and transfers vibrationto the carrier tape. The vibrations cause the part to settle into theproper position within the compartment. If the part is rejected by thein-tape inspection camera, a second vibrator module may be used to againvibrate the tape. The part may then be re-inspected to determine whetherthe first rejection was a false one.

[0005] The vibrator module preferably includes a small electric motorhaving an eccentric weight mounted on its output shaft. A vibrationtransferring member is interconnected with the electric motor, andextends to a position near the carrier tape. The motor vibrates as theoutput shaft rotates, and the vibration is transferred through thevibration transferring member to the carrier tape, thereby causing thepart to properly settle in the tape compartment.

[0006] Other features and advantages of the invention will becomeapparent to those skilled in the art upon review of the followingdetailed description, claims, and drawings.

BRIEF DESCRIPTION OF THE DRAWINGS

[0007]FIG. 1 is a side view of a taper apparatus embodying the presentinvention.

[0008]FIG. 2 is a top view of the taper apparatus of FIG. 1.

[0009]FIG. 3 is a schematic side cross-section view of a carrier tape inthe taper apparatus.

[0010]FIG. 4 is an enlarged view of a portion of FIG. 2, illustrating avibrator module for use in the taper apparatus.

[0011]FIG. 5 is a sectional view along line 5-5 of FIG. 4.

[0012]FIG. 6 is a sectional view along line 6-6 of FIG. 4.

[0013]FIG. 7 is a partially broken away schematic side view of analternate construction of the vibrator module.

[0014]FIG. 8 is a partial cross section view along line 8-8 of FIG. 7.

[0015] Before one embodiment of the invention is explained in detail, itis to be understood that the invention is not limited in its applicationto the details of construction and the arrangements of the componentsset forth in the following description or illustrated in the drawings.The invention is capable of other embodiments and of being practiced orbeing carried out in various ways. Also, it is understood that thephraseology and terminology used herein is for the purpose ofdescription and should not be regarded as limiting. The use of“including” and “comprising” and variations thereof herein is meant toencompass the items listed thereafter and equivalents thereof as well asadditional items. The use of “consisting of” and variations thereofherein is meant to encompass only the items listed thereafter. The useof letters to identify elements of a method or process is simply foridentification and is not meant to indicate that the elements should beperformed in a particular order.

DETAILED DESCRIPTION

[0016]FIGS. 1 and 2 illustrate a taper machine or taper apparatus 10including a drive assembly 14 for advancing a carrier tape 18 throughthe taper apparatus 10. The apparatus 10 also includes a control panel22 and the appropriate electronic control system for controlling thedrive assembly 14 and other components of the apparatus 10. Theapparatus 10 also includes a pair of guide rails or members 26 thatguide the carrier tape 18 along the apparatus 10.

[0017] As seen in FIG. 3, the carrier tape 18 includes a top portion 30and a plurality of compartments or pockets 34 recessed with respect tothe top portion 30. The carrier tape 18 also has two flanges 36 (FIG. 6)that may extend over the top of the guide members 26 of the taperapparatus 10 such that the compartments 34 extend down between the guidemembers 26. The compartments 34 include tapered or angled side walls 38and flat bottoms 42, and are thus designed to guide parts 46 into arelatively horizontal or flat orientation at the bottom of thecompartments 34. The taper apparatus 10 includes a pick-and-place head50 having a vacuum nozzle 54. The pick-and-place head 50 moves up anddown to position one part 46 in each compartment 34. The tape 18 is thenadvanced along the taper apparatus 10, and a clear cover tape 55 issealed to the flanges 36 with a sealing shoe 56. The parts 46 are thenexamined in-tape through the cover tape 55 with a robotic vision systemincluding a camera 58. Alternatively, the camera 58 may be positioned toinspect the parts 46 prior to the cover tape 55 being applied. Therobotic vision system is used to inspect leads 62 and other aspects ofthe parts 46.

[0018] In some existing taper machines, false rejections are made by therobotic vision system when the parts are canted or tilted, or areotherwise not settled properly within the compartments. Suchmisalignment may occur when, for example, the pick-and-place head is notpositioned directly above the tape compartment, the part is not centeredon the pick-and-place head, or the part is not cleanly dropped into thecompartment by the pick-and-place head. Misaligned parts may appear tohave leads that are too long or too short to pass inspection, eventhough the leads are in fact of the proper length. For example, if thepart is not settled, the camera 58 may see a partial reflection of thepart off of the side walls 38 that distorts the true length of the leads62.

[0019] Referring to FIGS. 4-6, the apparatus 10 includes two vibratormodules 66, each including a small electric motor 70 having an outputshaft 72, an eccentric weight 74 mounted to the output shaft 72, and afinger or a vibration transferring member which in the illustratedembodiment is a thin flexible strip of metal 78. The flexible strip 78is attached in a cantilevered fashion at one end to a mounting boss 82by a fastener 84 and projects away from the mounting boss 82. Themounting boss 82 is mounted to the taper apparatus 10 or one of theguide members 26 by fasteners 85. The motor 70 is mounted to theflexible strip 78 with bent fingers 86 (as illustrated in FIG. 5),fasteners, solder, brazing, welding, or any other suitable attachmentmeans. The motor 70 is therefore supported in cantilevered fashion bythe flexible strip 78. The flexible strip 78 is bent around theeccentric weight 74 and has a portion 90 positioned in a window 92 inone of the guide members 26. The portion 90 is thus directly alongsidethe compartment 34 that is currently under the pick-and-place head 50 orcamera 58. Alternatively, the vibrations could be passed through theguide member 26, and the window 92 would not be needed.

[0020] In operation the first vibrator module 66 is positioned next tothe carrier tape 18 under the pick-and-place head 50, and the secondvibrator module 66 is positioned next to the carrier tape 18 under thecamera 58 as seen in FIGS. 1 and 2. Each time a part 46 is positioned ina compartment 34 by the pick-and-place head 50, the control systemactuates the electric motor 70 of the first vibrator module 66. Therotating eccentric weight 74 creates vibrations which are passed by theflexible strip 78 to the compartment 34 currently under thepick-and-place head 50. If the part 46 is not properly positioned (i.e.,in a flat orientation at the bottom of the compartment 34), thevibrations cause the part 46 to settle into a relatively flatorientation at the bottom 42 of the compartment 34 prior to inspectionby the robotic vision system. If the part 46 is out of the compartment34, the vibrations help to move the part 46 into the compartment 34. Ifthe part 46 is properly positioned in the compartment 34, the part 46will remain in the relatively flat orientation at the bottom of thecompartment 34 during such vibration.

[0021] When the robotic vision system detects a defective part 46, areject signal is sent to the controller. The controller then activatesthe second vibrator module 66 to vibrate the carrier tape 18 andcompartment 34 under the camera 58. The part 46 is then re-inspected tosee if the rejection was a false rejection due to the part 46 not beingproperly settled within the compartment 34. An operator of the apparatus10 may program the control system with the number of re-inspections thatshould be performed before the part 46 is finally determined to be a badpart 46. The control system actuates the motor 70 before eachre-inspection.

[0022] It is preferable to adjust the speed of the motor 70 to adjustthe amplitude and frequency of vibration produced to a suitable levelfor the tape 18 and parts 46 involved. The speed may be adjusted byregulating the amount of voltage entering the motor 70. A large voltageentering the motor 70 actuates the motor 70 at a high speed and produceslarge vibrations, while a small voltage entering the motor 70 actuatesthe motor at a low speed and produces small vibrations. Lower voltageand small vibrations are used for small compartments 34 and small parts46, while high voltage and large vibrations are used for largecompartments 34 and large parts 46.

[0023] When at rest, the flexible strip 78 preferably does not contactthe adjacent compartment 34, but is very close to it. In operation, theflexible strip 78 bumps into the compartment 34 as the strip 78vibrates, and thereby transfers the vibrations to the compartment 34.Alternatively, the flexible strip 78 may be in contact with the adjacentcompartment 34 while at rest.

[0024] It should be noted that the taper apparatus 10 may employ onlyone of the first and second vibrator modules 66 described above, andthat use of even one of the vibrator modules 66 would still decrease theincidence of false rejections by the in-tape robotic vision system orstation. Also, the second vibrator module 66 may be positioned upstreamof the camera 58 if a second robotic vision station is used in the taperapparatus 10, provided the second vibrator module 66 vibrates the tapeprior to the second inspection in the event of a rejection by the firstrobotic vision station.

[0025] It should further be noted that the vibrator module may be usedin a machine other than the illustrated taper machine.

[0026] Referring to FIGS. 7 and 8, an alternative embodiment of thepresent invention is illustrated. Some components are similar to theconstruction described above, and like components are given likereference numbers. A vibrator module 94 includes a motor 98, an outputshaft 102, an eccentric weight 106 and a vibration transferring member110. The motor 98 is mounted to the taper apparatus 10 or the guidemember 26 on a resilient mounting structure 114 (e.g., springs, rubber,etc.). An adjustable damper 118 is used to vary the amount of vibrationcaused by operation of the motor. The vibration transferring member 110is mounted to the motor 98 and is used to transfer the vibration to thecarrier tape 18.

[0027] Although particular constructions of the present invention havebeen shown and described, other alternative constructions will beapparent to those skilled in the art and are within the intended scopeof the present invention. For example, the vibrator module 66 mayinclude vibration sources other than the illustrated motors 70, 98 andeccentric weights 74, 106, such as piezoelectric material operatingunder the influence of pulse current, a relay switch operating at aselected frequency, a voice coil operating at a selected frequency, orother suitable vibration sources. Thus, the present invention is to belimited only by the following claims.

1. A vibrator module adapted for use in a taper apparatus for advancingcarrier tape having a plurality of compartments and for placing parts inthe compartments, the vibrator module comprising: a motor including anoutput shaft that rotates in response to operation of the motor; aneccentric weight mounted to and rotatable with the output shaft, theeccentric weight causing the motor to vibrate in response to rotation ofthe output shaft and eccentric weight; and a vibration transferringmember interconnected with the motor and operable to transfer vibrationsfrom the motor to the carrier tape to cause the parts to settle into thebottoms of the compartments.
 2. The vibrator module as claimed in claim1, wherein the vibration transferring member is a flexible strip ofmetal.
 3. The vibrator module as claimed in claim 1, wherein thevibration transferring member is mounted to the taper apparatus andresiliently supports the motor in a cantilevered fashion.
 4. Thevibrator module as claimed in claim 1, wherein the vibrationtransferring member contacts at least one of the plurality ofcompartments in response to operation of the motor and transfersvibration from the motor to the compartments.
 5. The vibrator module asclaimed in claim 1, further comprising a resilient mounting structuresupporting the motor, wherein the vibration transferring member contactsthe carrier tape during operation of the motor.
 6. The vibrator moduleof claim 5, further comprising an adjustable damping means forselectively varying the resiliency of the resilient mounting structureand for thereby adjusting the level of vibrations produced by saidmotor.
 7. The vibrator module as claimed in claim 1, wherein the motoris an electric motor, the vibrator module further comprising a voltageregulator enabling selective adjustment of the voltage of electricitysupplied to the motor, wherein the vibrations transferred to the carriertape through the vibration transferring member may be modified to aselected level by adjusting the voltage with the voltage regulator.
 8. Apart processing machine for depositing parts in compartments of acarrier tape, the machine comprising: support means for supporting thecarrier tape; advancing means for advancing the carrier tape through themachine; pick-and-place means for depositing the parts in thecompartments of the carrier tape; and vibrating means for vibrating thecarrier tape to cause the parts to settle into the compartments.
 9. Themachine of claim 8, further comprising inspecting means for inspectingparts in the carrier tape, wherein said vibrating means is positionedadjacent the compartment being inspected by said inspecting means suchthat said vibrating means may be actuated in response to a part beingrejected by said inspecting means, wherein said inspecting means mayre-inspect the part after said vibrating means vibrates the tape. 10.The machine of claim 8, wherein said vibrating means includes a motorhaving a rotating output shaft and an eccentric weight on said outputshaft for rotation therewith, wherein rotation of said output shaft andeccentric weight cause said motor to vibrate.
 11. The machine of claim10, wherein said vibrating means further includes a vibrationtransferring member mounted to said motor and intermittently contactingthe carrier tape at least during rotation of said output shaft andeccentric weight, the vibration transferring member transferringvibration of said motor to the carrier tape to settle the parts into thecompartments.
 12. The machine of claim 11, wherein said vibrationtransferring member includes a flexible strip of metal mounted to saidsupport means and supporting said motor in cantilever fashion.
 13. Themachine of claim 8, wherein the carrier tape includes at least oneflange, wherein the compartments depend downwardly with respect to theflange, wherein said support means supports the carrier tape by theflange, and wherein said vibrating means is mounted to the support meansbelow the at least one flange and is operable to transfer vibration tothe compartments.
 14. The machine of claim 8, wherein said vibratingmeans includes an electric motor generating vibrations, the machinefurther comprising a voltage regulating means for permitting theadjustment of voltage provided to said motor such that the level ofvibrations generated by said motor may be adjusted by adjusting thesupplied voltage.
 15. The machine of claim 8, wherein said vibratingmeans includes an electric motor generating vibrations, the machinefurther comprising a resilient mounting structure supporting said motorand an adjustable damping means for varying the resiliency of saidresilient mounting structure and for thereby adjusting the level ofvibrations produced by said motor.
 16. A method for packaging parts in acarrier tape, the carrier tape being advanceable by a taper apparatusand including a plurality of compartments, the method comprising:loading a part into one of the plurality of compartments; activating avibrator module to produce a vibration; and transferring the vibrationto the carrier tape to settle the part within the compartment.
 17. Themethod of claim 16, wherein the act of loading includes placing the partinto one of the plurality of compartments with a pick-and-place vacuumhead.
 18. The method of claim 16, wherein the act of activating avibrator module includes rotating an eccentric weight to produce thevibration.
 19. The method of claim 18, wherein the act of activating avibrator module further includes activating a motor to rotate an outputshaft to which the eccentric weight is mounted such that the motorvibrates during operation.
 20. The method of claim 19, wherein the motoris an electric motor, and wherein the act of activating a vibratorfurther includes adjusting the voltage of electricity supplied to themotor to adjust the level of vibrations generated by the motor.
 21. Themethod of claim 19, wherein the act of transferring includes mounting aflexible member to the taper apparatus, supporting the motor with theflexible member in a cantilever fashion, and intermittently contactingthe carrier tape with the flexible member during operation of the motor.22. The method of claim 16, wherein the act of transferring includesmounting the vibrator module on a resilient mounting structure to enablevibration, and intermittently contacting the carrier tape with avibration transferring member during operation of the vibrator module.23. The method of claim 22, wherein the act of transferring furtherincludes selectively damping the resiliency of the resilient mountingstructure to adjust the level of vibrations being transferred to thetape.